Fastening distributor



c. A. ROBINSON 2,326,254

FASTENING-DI STRIBUTOR Filed 001.. 30, 1941 [L H i \1 M Patented Aug. 10, 1943 FASTENING DISTRIBUTOR Charles A. Robinson, Salem, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 30, 1941, Serial No. 417,137

30 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus by which such fastenings as nails may be delivered, one by one or group by group, to a machine by which they are to be inserted. It is particularly adapted for operation upon fastenings, the opposite eX- tremities of which have different transverse dimensions.

In delivering fastenings to inserting machines, they must ordinarily be arranged with the same end, as the head, in one direction. For example, in attaching heels to shoes by inside nailing, the fastening's are supplied to passages in a worksupporting jack with their heads down, so they are driven therefrom up through the heel-seat of a jacked shoe into an applied heel. It is an object of this invention to determine accurately how each nail, indiscriminately supplied as to the end advanced, is positioned, and then so deliver it in accordance with this determination that the desired end is correctly directed.

To achieve this object, I provide means for measuring the thickness or a dimension of the nails, or other fastenings supplied, at transversely spaced points, and then delivering them as determined by the measurement with the thicker ends in the same direction, whether this be forward or rearward. This measurement may be made with each nail in a movable carrier, with which is combined retaining means and means for freeing nails from the retaining means and delivering them at different points in the movement of the carrier in accordance with differences in the measurement. Since the determination of nail-direction is independent of the length,

no adjustment at the carrier is necessary, regardless of variation in this dimension. The carrier, having a nail-retaining member movable upon it, may receive the nails from a raceway, the retaining member thereafter being moved, under the control of carrier-movement or otherwise, to release the nails for delivery. The extent of movement of the retaining member depends upon a dimension of the nail engaged, as that of the head or of the point, and the release of the nails occurs at different points in the movement of the carrier. More specifically, the measuring and retaining member may consist of a lever, preferably of the toggle-type, which will be moved either short of its center or across such center, depending upon the dimension which it measures. In the first instance, it will have measured the larger end and will release the nail from the end of the passage in the carrier in which the test is made for delivery with its head forward. In the second, when the point is in advance, the nail will be retained for delivery from the opposite end of the passage, again head foremost. The movement of the lever is preferably effected by an actuating member, into engagement with which the carrier moves it. With the toggle-lever, this engagement may occur twice, first to make the measurement and then, if it has passed over the center, to restore the lever to normal. The delivery is made to the passage of a receiving member, which also has a surface by which nails are retained in the carrier-passage after they have been measured. This retention is in connection with the test upon the larger end of the nails, in which the toggle-lever does not travel over the center and in which the nail is released immediately after measurement. The lever is then returned to its initial position by an expansible link, which is included in it. To effect an orderly supply of nails to the delivery device or carrier, the raceway is provided with a ate and a nail-stop, each controlled by a lever and moved under the influence of the deliven device. The gate governs the suppl to the carrier of the leading nail in the raceway, the stop holding back the succeeding nail as this delivery is being made. That the stop may act properly upon nails of different lengths, it may be arranged at different points along the raceway.

In the accompanyin drawing, a particular embodiment of this invention is illustrated.

In Fig. 1 my improved mechanism is shown in side elevation and in its normal position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but with the measuring means in action in connection with a nail received head first, a portion of the elements being shown in phantom;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the discharge of the nail measured in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial view, corresponding to Fig. 3 and showing the retention for inversion of a nail received point first; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line V-V of Fig. 1.

At l0 appears the end of the raceway of a nail distributor, which has extending longitudinally in a downwardly inclined direction nail-conducting grooves, but one of which, indicated at l2, need be considered. Down the groove [2 such fastenings as nails flow in a series from a mass held in a container, to be retained temporarily for delivery one by one by a gate M. The manner in which this gate is controlled will be described later. At the end of the raceway is mechanism by which the nails are received, measured at one extremity to determine whether the head or the point is foremost, and either discharged directly or inverted, depending upon the measurement. This mechanism is shown as having a rotatable carrier C, made up of a plate I6 at one side and divided plates I8 and I9 at the other side, the plates I8 and I9 being attached to the plate I6 by screws 20. Formed in the opposed edges of the plates I8 and I9 are grooves, which furnish a nail-holding passage 22. In the normal position of the carrier C, thispassage is alined with the raceway-groove I2, as appears in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The carrier is thu held by a shaft 24, to the end of which the plate I6 is attached. This shaft is journaled in a bracket 26, extending from the forward extremity of the raceway, and is rotated by bevel-gearing 28 from a rearwardly extending shaft 30, journaled in the bracket and which turns through 360 during each nail-delivering cycle of the mechanism. In this movement of the carrier its opposite arcuate ends 32 and 34 travel, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, over a complemental surface 36 upon a throat-piece 38, and across an upwardly expanded passage 40 with which the passage 22 may register. From the lower contracted end of the passage 40, a tube 42 may lead to an unillustrated foot-plate, with which co-operates loading mechanism for transferring nails to the inserting mechanism of a machine supplied by the distributor. Initially, the lower end of the passage 22 is opposite the imperforate upper portion of the surface 36 (Fig. 1), so nails delivered from the raceway through the passage are temporarily retained in the carrier. They may be delivered to the passage 40, either when the end of the passage in the carrier-surface 34 or that in the surface 32 crosses it. This opposite delivery depends upon whether a nail in the carrier-passage 22 is received from the raceway head first or point first.

The nails travel indiscriminately down the raceway-groove I2 with their heads in either direction, and it will be assumed, for the purposes of illustration, that delivery to the loading mechanism heads down is desired. To control through which end of the passage 22 the nails are delivered, and therefore the leading end, I provide mechanism which measures each nail, whether the larger end. or head. or the smaller, or point, is forward, and temporarily retains said nail when in the latter position. Arranged at what is normally the lower side of the passage 22 is a toggle-lever made up of a link 44 and a sectional link 46, 41, lying in a recess 48 in the side-plates I8 and I9. The link 44 is pivoted at 50 upon a bracket 52 clamped to the plate I9 by a slot-and-screw connection 54, which permits an initial or setting up adjustment of the lever. The other link is in two telescoping sections, the section 46 being pivoted to the plate I8 at 56. Between the sections, an expansionspring 58 is interposed. The link 44 and the link section 41 are joined pivotally at 60, and the outer extremities of the section 46 and of the link 44 project beyond the respective surfaces 32 and 34 of the carrier C, traveling through a slot 62 in the throat-piece 38 as said carrier rotates. As the toggle-lever is shifted transversely of the carrier about its pivots 50 and 56, the spring 58 compressing to allow this, a pin 64 extending from one side of the link 44 into a space 65 in the meeting edges of the plate I8 and I9 at the end 34, is movable through different distances across the end of the passage 22. This movement of the toggle-lever produces its nailmeasuring and -retaining action.

From the end of the raceway I0 rises an ex tension 66 of the bracket 26, from which a pin 68 extends horizontally. The pin passes through a slot 10 in an actuating member 12, said member being urged normally down by a tension-spring 14 connecting the pin and member. The lower reduced end 15 of the member 12 lies in the path of the ends of the link 44 and of the link-section 46, acting upon the latter to straighten the togglelever and upon the former to restore it to its normal relation after the links have been carried Over the center. To free the lever from the actuating member after these effects have been produced, said member is allowed to yield upwardly against the tension of the spring 14. In this yield, it slides along a guide-surface 16 upon a disengaging member 18 clamped adjustably at upon the extension 66. At the time the togglelever is to be released from the actuating member. its upper rear corner engages a cam-surface 82 upon the member 18. The end 15 of the member 12 is thereby swung rearwardly, so it leaves the engaged end of the link-section 46.

That the measuring mechanism may act properly upon each nail, there must be a delivery to it from the raceway-groove I2 of the leading nail therein for each operating cycle, together with the retention of the succeeding nail while this delivery is being made. For this purpose, there lies at the end of the groove the previously mentioned gate I4. carried by the forward extremity of a lever 92 fulcrumed at 94 upon the raceway. A link 96 joins the lever 92 to a second lever 91, fulcrumed at 98 upon the raceway and at its rear extremity held normally raised by an expansion-spring I00 to an extent permitted by engagement with the head of a stop-screw I02 threaded into the raceway. A stop-plunger I04, situated beneath the lever 91 in a depression in the cover I06 of the raceway, is held normally raised by an expansion-spring I08. It may be depressed by contact with it of the lever 91, so its reduced lower portion, which passes through an opening in the cover, engages a nail in the groove. When the rotation of the carrier C starts, a lateral projection IIO from it strikes a yieldable extension II2 from the end of the lever 92. As the projection travels along the curved surface of the extension, which is pressed against it, the gate is raised, so the terminal nail is released to enter the passage 22 in the carrier. At the same time, the lever 91 is lowered through the link 96 and depresses the plunger I04. This engages the succeeding nail to hold it against descent. When the projection II9 leaves the extension II2, the spring I00 restores both the levers 91 and 92 to their initial positions. The plunger I04, therefore, releases its nail to pass down the raceway to the now lowered gate I4. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the plunger is located in a depression a so spaced from the gate I4, that it will act properly upon a certain range of the longer nails. With shorter nails, the plunger should be nearer the gate, and depressions b and c are shown to receive said plunger for two other ranges of lengths.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the passage 22 of the carrier C has received a nail N from the raceway-groove I2, the gate I4 having been lifted by the projection IIO as the carrier assumed its normal relation at the termination of the preceding operating cycle. The succeeding nail N is first retained by the plunger gate.

38. When the loading mechanism of the inserting machine is moved into nail-receiving position. the clutch of the nail-distributor may be tripped in the customary manner, and the rotation of the carrier starts. As appears in Fig. 2, the carrier has turned sufficiently for the point 15 of the actuating member 12 to be struck by the end of the link-section 46. This displaces the center of the toggle-lever inwardly, and the projection 64 from the link 44 comes into contact with the end of the nail to determine its thickness. Since the transverse dimension measured is at or near the maximum, the straightening of the toggle-lever is arrested before the pivotal connection at 60 passes over the center. The spring 58 compresses for any excess of movement of the link-section 46. As the actuating member 12 thus produces the measuring movement of the lever, it is itself raised against the tension of the spring 14 and engages the cam-surface 82. This swings its point 15 rearwardly, so it is freed from the link-section, and, as this passes on, the actuating member is returned to its initial position by its spring. The toggle-lever is also released, and the expansion of its spring 58 returns it to normal, the projection 64 leaving the nail N. This i now held in the carrier-passage only by its head resting upon the surface 36 of the throat-piece. and, when the carrier has turned to the angle represented in Fig. 3 and the carrier-passage comes over the passage 40, the nail N falls into the latter and through the tube 42 to the loading mechanism. The remainder of the carrier-rotation is idle until. as it reaches its initial position at the termination of the delivery-cycle, the projection H causes the entrance of the nail N from the raceway into the carrier-passage.

If the nail had been point first instead of head first when the actuating member 12 produced the measuring movement of the toggle-lever. the smaller transverse dimension would have allowed the projection 64 to move through a greater are. This is sufiicient to carry the pivot 60 between the links over the center. as is shown in Fig. 4 F

of the drawing. The expansion of the spring 58 would urge the projection 64 against the nail, clamping said nail against the wall of the passage 22 and thus preventing delivery when the passage 40 is reached. When the end of the link 44 arrives at the actuating member 12. its contact therewith shifts the toggle-lever back over the center to its normal position, releasing the nail from the grip of the projection 64 so its head will rest upon the surface 36. The continuing rotation of the carrier brings the passage 22 again over the passage 40, so the nail is delivered. head down, to the loading mechanism. The cycle is completed by the receipt of another nail from the raceway into the carrier-passage, when the projection H0 acts upon the gate-extension H2.

It is particularly to be noted, that in this measuring of oppositely placed nails for the arrangement of all in the same direction, the question of length does not enter. Consequently, there is entirely eliminated the frequent adjustment required with the commonly employed balancing bar of nail-distributors.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01 the United States is:

1. In delivery mechanisms for fastenings which are of different thickness at their opposite ends, means for supplying fastenings indiscriminately with either end in advance, and means engaging the fastenings at transversely spaced points for measuring their thickness and for delivering them as determined by the measurement with the thicker ends of all in the same direction.

2. In delivery mechanisms for fastenings each having different transverse dimensions, a movable fastening-carrier, means for measuring a dimension of a fastening and for retaining it in the carrier, and means for freeing the fastenings from the measuring means for delivery at different points in the movement of the carrier as determined by differences in the measurement.

3. In delivery mechanisms for fastenlngs which are of different thickness at their opposite ends, a movable fastening-carrier, means for supplying fastenings to the carrier indiscriminately with either end in advance, means for moving the carrier to deliver a fastening from different sides of the carrier, and means for controlling the direction of delivery in accordance with the thickness of one of the ends of the fastening.

4. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway. a nailretaining member movable upon the carrier to clamp nails against movement therein, and means for moving the member to release the nails from the grip of the retaining member for delivery from the carrier.

5. The combination with a raceway. of a. movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a nail-retaining member movable upon the carrier to clamp nails against movement therein, and means controlled in the movement of the carrier for moving the member to release the nails from the grip of the retaining member for delivery from the carrier.

6. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway. a nail-retaining member movable upon the carrier to clamp nails against movement therein, means for governing the supply of nails from the racewa and controlled in the movement of the carrier, and means for moving the member to release the nails from the grip of the retaining member for delivery from the carrier.

7. The combination with a raceway, of a, movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a nail-retaining member movable upon the carrier, and means for moving the member to release the nails at different points in the movement of the carrier.

8. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a nail-engaging member movable upon the carrier to different extents depending upon a dimension of the nail engaged, and means controlled by the extent of movement for releasing the nails from the engaging member at diil'crcnt points in the movement of the carrier.

9. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, and a member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail to measure its transverse dimension and to retain it in the carrier.

10. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a lever movable upon the carrier and having a portion for engagement with the nails to clamp them against movement in the carrier, and means for moving the lever to release nails for delivery from the carrier.

11. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion and an expansible link, and means for moving the lever to release nails for delivery from the carrier.

12. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, said lever being movable to different extents depending upon the dimension of the nail engaged, and means for moving the lever to release nails for delivery from the carrier.

13. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, said toggle-lever moving short of the center and across the center depending upon the dimension of the nail engaged, and means for moving the lever to release nails for delivery from the carrier.

14. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, means acting upon opposite ends of the togglelever to move it across the center and to restore it to its normal position, and means for moving the lever to release nails for delivery from the carrier.

15. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, means for holding the lever with the portion out of nail-engagement, and means tending to straighten the toggle-lever to bring said portion into engagement with the nail.

16. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, means for holding the lever with the portion out of nail-engagement, and a yieldable member in contact with which the toggle-lever is moved by the carrier to produce engagement of said portion with the nail.

17. The combination with a raceway, of a movable carrier arranged to receive nails from the raceway, a toggle-lever movable upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion, means for moving the member to release nails for delivery from the carrier, a yieldable member in contact with which the toggle-lever is moved by the carrier to produce engagement of said portion with the nail, and means against which the yieldable member is carried to release the toggle-lever.

18. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage. a nail-carrier having a passage therethrough to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage, and means for temporarily retaining the nails in the carrier-passage.

19. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage, and a toggle-lever pivoted upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion movable across the carrier-passage.

20. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage, a toggle-lever pivoted upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion movable across the carrier-passage, and an actuating member into engagement with which the carrier moves the iogglcdever.

21. In combination, a raceway, a member provided. with a nail-receiving passage, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage, a togglelcver pivoted upon the carrier and having a nail-engaging portion movable across the carrier-passage, and an actuating member into co-operation with which the carrier moves the toggle-lever twice during each rotation of said carrier.

22. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage and with a nail-retaining surface, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage and retaining surface, a retaining member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail in the passage and held by the surface of the receiving member, and means for freeing the nail from the retaining member when the carrier-passage is alined with the receiving passage.

23. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage and with a nail-retaining surface, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage and retaining surface, a retaining member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail in the passage and held by the surface of the receiving memher, and means for freeing the nail from the retaining member for delivery to the receiving passage from opposite ends of the carrierpassage.

24. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage and with a nail-retaining surface, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage and retaining surface, a retaining member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail in the passage and held by the surface of the receiving member, and an actuating member by which the retaining member is moved while either of the opposite ends of the carrier-passage co-operate with the receiving passage.

25. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage and with a nail-retaining surface, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage and retaining surface a retaining member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail in the passage and held by the surface of the receiving memher, and an actuating member by which the retaining member is moved to engage a nail when one end of the carrier-passage is opposite the retaining surface and to free said nail when the opposite end of the carrier-passage is opposite the receiving passage.

26. In combination, a raceway, a member provided with a nail-receiving passage and with a nail-retaining surface, a nail-carrier having a passage to which the raceway delivers and being movable to present opposite ends of its passage to the nail-receiving passage and retaining surface, a retaining member movable upon the carrier into engagement with a nail in the passage and held by the surface of the receiving member, an actuating member by which the retaining member is moved to engage a nail when one end of the carrier-passage is opposite the retaining surface, and means for freeing said nail when the end of the carrier-passage is opposite the receiving passage.

27. In combination, a raceway, a movable delivery device supplied by the raceway, a gate governing the supply of nails from the raceway to the delivery device, a lever upon which the gate is mounted, a stop for the nails in the raceway, a lever acting upon the stop, and means for moving the levers under the influence of the delivery device.

28. In combination, a raceway, a movable delivery device supplied by the raceway, a gate governing the supply of nails from the raceway to the delivery device, a lever upon which the gate is mounted, a stop for the nails in the raceway, means whereby the stop may be arranged at difierent points along the raceway, a lever acting upon the stop in each position, and means for moving the levers under the influence of the delivery device.

29. In combination, a raceway, a movable de-' livery device supplied by the raceway, a gate governing the supply of nails from the raceway to the delivery device, a lever upon which the gate is mounted, a stop for the nails in the raceway, a lever acting upon the stop, means for connecting the levers to move together, and means for communicating the movement of the delivery device to the gate-lever.

30. In combination, a raceway, a movable delivery device supplied by the raceway, a gate governing the supply of nails from the raceway to the delivery device, a lever upon which the gate is mounted, a stop for the nails in the raceway, a lever acting upon the stop, means for connecting the levers to move together, means for communicating the movement of the delivery device to the gate-lever, and a spring for returning both levers to their normal positions.

CHARLES A. ROBINSON. 

